It's just amazing how fast time flew by! It has been two weeks all ready, and just one week left!
Aside from a few minor setbacks and miscommunications all the hard work seems to be paying off. As you can read in the blogs that the three teachers are writing, they are very busy with seeing, living and learning Big Picture and The Met.
It truly is one teacher at a time! They all have completely different ways in how they learn, and what their learningplans look like. The path they are following this three weeks is their own. I can't wait to see their exhibitions this Wednesday, in which each of them will show what and how they have learned and what they will take home to their own schools.
For me it has been a journey as well. As I was told, nobody has ever had the opportunity to let people have a three week training at The Met before. It took a lot of very hard work to make it happen, and I'm learning all the way through! I all ready have a list of things that I will do differently next time around (if it's up to me, I will try to make this happen many more times!) but there is a list of things that went great, too!
My next blog will be about the exhibitions on Wednesday, and dinner with Dennis on Monday!
Now I'm off for the weekend! Jill is throwing me a party tomorrow (I've never had anyone do that for me before!) and I'm so excited for that!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Dieuwertje: third blogpost
May 11th, 2011
Yesterday we had this meeting with Dennis Littky. We had a good conversation. We talked about a lot of things. Among them; the vision he had about testing and how you get this special atmosphere in your school..how do you build this culture.
What made me think was the part about how the senior students show the younger ones.
One student actually said that when he didn’t know how to act or what to do, he just looked at the seniors because ‘they showed me’.
It got me thinking about how we can accomplish that in our own school. First of all we have to think how we get the opportunity since the older students are out all the time.
Second of all we to place these students in a spot where they are treated as a role model, so they can feel that they are, and then can act en behave as a role model. We have some work to do in that area I guess…
Because Dennis Littky is a busy man, he had to leave early for another appointment. Next week we’ll have the opportunity to ask him the questions that we prepared.
This morning we had a pick me up. It was time to say our goodbyes to two social worker-interns.
Instead of only a speech they asked students to stand up and say why they are grateful and why they want to thank the interns.
The comment that really caught me was from this girl. She said she wanted to thank her social worker for helping her out. But especially for the fact that she wasn’t treated as a high school student but as a young adult. She said that this made her feel better about herself.
And that is what it’s all about……Dieuwertje Greuter
Prakticon, Doetinchem
Willem: third blogpost
A brief note on last Thursday and Friday
Thursday was ridiculous busy. In the morning I went to different LTI´s
again. One of them was the culinary arts museum where a student works
together with the museum. I saw the relevance for him and the museum
shown in what he had made. Somewhere in the past, president Abraham
Lincoln had given a dinner to his guests and the recipe of that dinner
has survived but only in the old English language and even French. So
the student had to go back to the sources which were old books which
you can only find in special libraries and not on the Internet. When
visitors nowadays come to the museum and see the old recipe of that
dinner and Abraham Lincoln´s picture overseeing this, there´s a
digital tool where they can look up what was in the original menu with
all the specifications. Cool museum! Cool LTI!
That afternoon I went to see the office where the partnerships are set
up. That´s something I really want to do back in the Netherlands.
Setting up partnerships with local organizations which deal with
environmental and ecological issues and going outdoors to be in touch
with it. I think about Staatsbosbeheer, Rijkswaterstaat,
Natuurvereniging etc. Friday I went to Bristol (I have been there
before but in a different country though) to the audobon society. A
society formed by volunteers to bring people close to the natural
environment. I loved the birdwatching we did!
Finally I got all the names of the staff and their task within the
building. That will work! Because I desperately need them.....(for my
own learning plan)
I had a very good talk with Vera the social worker. She´s given me
support in some ideas I´d like to develop back in the Netherlands.
She´s doing the same thing right here! Turning a liability into a
strength and working on your academic goals at the meantime.
I can say the same about the talk I had with Carrie, which I will talk
about later. She´s camping now and we´re meeting again Friday.
To conclude. Although there are no marks to be given to the different
topics and subjects conveyed by the students...I noticed that there´s
a way of crediting work. Have to find out more about that!!
Willem van Haaften
CSG Prins Maurits, Middelharnis
Thursday was ridiculous busy. In the morning I went to different LTI´s
again. One of them was the culinary arts museum where a student works
together with the museum. I saw the relevance for him and the museum
shown in what he had made. Somewhere in the past, president Abraham
Lincoln had given a dinner to his guests and the recipe of that dinner
has survived but only in the old English language and even French. So
the student had to go back to the sources which were old books which
you can only find in special libraries and not on the Internet. When
visitors nowadays come to the museum and see the old recipe of that
dinner and Abraham Lincoln´s picture overseeing this, there´s a
digital tool where they can look up what was in the original menu with
all the specifications. Cool museum! Cool LTI!
That afternoon I went to see the office where the partnerships are set
up. That´s something I really want to do back in the Netherlands.
Setting up partnerships with local organizations which deal with
environmental and ecological issues and going outdoors to be in touch
with it. I think about Staatsbosbeheer, Rijkswaterstaat,
Natuurvereniging etc. Friday I went to Bristol (I have been there
before but in a different country though) to the audobon society. A
society formed by volunteers to bring people close to the natural
environment. I loved the birdwatching we did!
Finally I got all the names of the staff and their task within the
building. That will work! Because I desperately need them.....(for my
own learning plan)
I had a very good talk with Vera the social worker. She´s given me
support in some ideas I´d like to develop back in the Netherlands.
She´s doing the same thing right here! Turning a liability into a
strength and working on your academic goals at the meantime.
I can say the same about the talk I had with Carrie, which I will talk
about later. She´s camping now and we´re meeting again Friday.
To conclude. Although there are no marks to be given to the different
topics and subjects conveyed by the students...I noticed that there´s
a way of crediting work. Have to find out more about that!!
Willem van Haaften
CSG Prins Maurits, Middelharnis
Monday, May 9, 2011
Dieuwertje: Wake up call
Last week I joined an advisory during Social Reasoning.
We read an article and discussed about it. This time it was about whether it’s allowed/justified to use presumptions/prejudices .
They used an example about Muslims. Unfortunately we see these days that this specific group experiences more problems at customs. They are searched more often than others. Same goes for people who’re traveling from a country that is known for problems concerning drugs.
It was a good discussion between the students in advisory about the use of presumptions and prejudices and the negative effects of it.
Why I’m talking about this?
Well... just 2 days ago it suddenly became clear to me that teachers are doing the same thing…
When it comes to our students we have our own presumptions. Even when we don’t think we do, or try not to. We’re sometimes just not aware.
It’s almost a human characteristic. We generalize..because it’s easier… because we assume..
We assume about the motivation of students, about their behavior, about their family and their backgrounds..
I’m happy to see that at the Met people don’t assume that much.
They ask.
So they know.
I’m even happier to see that at my own school back in the Netherlands, we also asking more and more. We’re getting to know our students, their personalities, their backgrounds and their passions…
Just by asking. As simple as that.
And though I sometimes catch myself assuming (hmm..that student is late again....he probably didn’t feel like listening to his alarm clock…always the same story..but then finding out that he had to bring his sister to school again because his mother is sick)…I’m getting there..
Sometimes you need a reminder..
This week I got two; First there was Elliot…reminding me about how important it is to start asking questions. About getting to know one another.
And then I got the reminder I just wrote about; I’m awake again!
Dieuwertje Greuter
Prakticon, Doetinchem
Reini: blogpost 2 in Dutch
De eerste enerverende week zit er op. Na een hartelijk ontvangst op maandag begon het "echte " werk, meedraaien in een advisory.
Ik zit in een 10th grade advisory in Unity bij Ailen.
Wat mij deze week naast veel inhoudelijke zaken echt is opgevallen dat de sfeer in de advisory en school goed is. Ailen en de studenten gaan op een prettige manier met elkaar om. Ik heb aan verschillende leerlingen gevraagd hoe dit kan. Wat hebben jullie gedaan om zo met elkaar om te gaan?
Een leerling antwoordde dat hij het eigenlijk ook niet echt kon uitleggen, maar je wordt er gewoon ingezogen.
Twee andere leerlingen gaven aan dat de oudere leerlingen je lieten zien hoe je met elkaar omgaat, they showed us the way, toen wij als freshmen binnen kwamen. Daarnaast geven advisors je veel verantwoordelijkheid en respecteren je. Op mijn vraag op welke wijze toont de advisor dan respect naar jou, moet ik het antwoord nog even schuldig blijven omdat deze 2 studenten een workshop moesten verzorgen.
Verantwoordelijkheid geven dus!
Reini van Schaijk
Practikon, Doetinchem
Friday, May 6, 2011
Willem: second blogpost
This morning all the students came to school to be collected by their advisors and then to set off to their
LTI´s. Although some of them remained in school because of different reasons. Nate´s kids were all
out to their LTI´s...
I first had a talk with the special education teacher. She was interested in what I do
out to their LTI´s...
I first had a talk with the special education teacher. She was interested in what I do
in the Netherlands and wanted to help me completing my learning plan by setting up a time to see
students with learning difficulties and psychological disorders.
I should ask Sherri the names of all the staff members in the justice building in order to make it easier for me to address my questions to the right person.
We first went to a garage but our student wasn´t there but was still in bed. Nate rang him up and the student said he would go to school. We then set off for a goat farm which was fun. There we saw a lot of goats, chickens, dogs and pigs. One goat was about to deliver kids but we had to go. We heard that 4 kids were born after we had gone. The student does well at this LTI and has a great mentor. She´s learned to milk the goats, to help delivering kids, knows a bit what reasons there are to do organic farming and helps the veterinarian.
Meanwhile Nate did a great job answering a lot of questions which gave me a better insight in what´s going on during the year(s).
After lunch we went to an Italian restaurant where a student showed us around in the kitchen and the cellar. She´s been given a lot of trust during the year and has progressed in taking on more responsibility
and doing more tasks.
Nate drove us to a djembe/drumming session of a Ghanese tutor, teaching two students of the Met. That was real fun. Besides performing and listening to the music, the tutor told us a little bit about the history of this typical music and how important that is to preserve.
I´ve seen a lot of new places and faces and found it very interesting to see what sort of things are being organized here.
students with learning difficulties and psychological disorders.
I should ask Sherri the names of all the staff members in the justice building in order to make it easier for me to address my questions to the right person.
We first went to a garage but our student wasn´t there but was still in bed. Nate rang him up and the student said he would go to school. We then set off for a goat farm which was fun. There we saw a lot of goats, chickens, dogs and pigs. One goat was about to deliver kids but we had to go. We heard that 4 kids were born after we had gone. The student does well at this LTI and has a great mentor. She´s learned to milk the goats, to help delivering kids, knows a bit what reasons there are to do organic farming and helps the veterinarian.
Meanwhile Nate did a great job answering a lot of questions which gave me a better insight in what´s going on during the year(s).
After lunch we went to an Italian restaurant where a student showed us around in the kitchen and the cellar. She´s been given a lot of trust during the year and has progressed in taking on more responsibility
and doing more tasks.
Nate drove us to a djembe/drumming session of a Ghanese tutor, teaching two students of the Met. That was real fun. Besides performing and listening to the music, the tutor told us a little bit about the history of this typical music and how important that is to preserve.
I´ve seen a lot of new places and faces and found it very interesting to see what sort of things are being organized here.
Willem van Haaften
CSG Prins Maurits, Middelharnis
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Willem: first blogpost
Today was the first day we actually met at the Met with some of the
staff and students. Elliot began with giving a speech which was
interrupted and only was to be continued after lunch time.
Elliot gave a few examples of new things which go against the
established order and are controversial. So does the Big Picture
philosophy!
I then joined a group and we were guided through the building complex
and then sat down at the advisory lead by the advisor Nathan, called
Nate. His group was split into two groups, one going downstairs for
doing maths and one remaining while working individually. Some were
working on their geography, some wrote their autobiography and others
had a meeting with Nate.
I wrote down the names of the students, since I will be with them for
the coming three weeks and talked with them.
After that we were taken to see the other buildings and then had
lunch. I then learned that if students do not meet the requirements of
their learning plan, a contract work is set up.
Following the Big Picture education from 9th until 12th grade can be
compared to the carving of wood. First you have a piece of wood with
no shape but after working hard and a long process the figure becomes
clearer and clearer. That often is the case for students. They find it
difficult to find out what they are actually doing and why they are
doing this. But after a year or more they start to realize and see
things more clearly.
I then went to a crochet session where students made hats and stuff
like that for cancer patients at the local hospital. One student has
set this up to learn making new patterns and teach kids these skills
and so helping sick people in providing jolly, warm hats.
After that I went up to see Nate finishing his class and went to the
staff meeting. The staff (including me) were given funny presents since
it is the teacher appreciation week. I met the staff of the Justice building
and am looking forward talking to them and finding out new things and
learning a lot from them.
staff and students. Elliot began with giving a speech which was
interrupted and only was to be continued after lunch time.
Elliot gave a few examples of new things which go against the
established order and are controversial. So does the Big Picture
philosophy!
I then joined a group and we were guided through the building complex
and then sat down at the advisory lead by the advisor Nathan, called
Nate. His group was split into two groups, one going downstairs for
doing maths and one remaining while working individually. Some were
working on their geography, some wrote their autobiography and others
had a meeting with Nate.
I wrote down the names of the students, since I will be with them for
the coming three weeks and talked with them.
After that we were taken to see the other buildings and then had
lunch. I then learned that if students do not meet the requirements of
their learning plan, a contract work is set up.
Following the Big Picture education from 9th until 12th grade can be
compared to the carving of wood. First you have a piece of wood with
no shape but after working hard and a long process the figure becomes
clearer and clearer. That often is the case for students. They find it
difficult to find out what they are actually doing and why they are
doing this. But after a year or more they start to realize and see
things more clearly.
I then went to a crochet session where students made hats and stuff
like that for cancer patients at the local hospital. One student has
set this up to learn making new patterns and teach kids these skills
and so helping sick people in providing jolly, warm hats.
After that I went up to see Nate finishing his class and went to the
staff meeting. The staff (including me) were given funny presents since
it is the teacher appreciation week. I met the staff of the Justice building
and am looking forward talking to them and finding out new things and
learning a lot from them.
Willem van Haaften
CSG Prins Maurits, Middelharnis
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)